A New Year at Robichaux Academy
by hotwitchproblems
Summary: It's a new year at Robichaux Academy, & along with their new responsibilities as staff & headmaster, Zoe & Cordelia can't help reminiscing about the past troubles & tragedies that plagued the previous year. Zoe begins having visions of a girl who needs her help & starts to question exactly where Madison went. Cordelia can't get over Misty's death & considers using her new powers.
1. Grim Requisition

Zoe's body froze up in her bed. She tried to open her eyes, but couldn't move anything. "Help me." a small voice cried out. She tried to figure out where it was coming from. "Please, there's not much time left!" the voice grew louder and more urgent. She recognized it as being female. "HELP!" the voice shouted this time and what sounded like right next to her ear.

Zoe's eyes shot open and she quickly glanced around her room. The only person she saw was her new roommate, Rebekah, asleep in her own bed. Zoe looked over at her alarm clock and realized it was only an hour before wake up time. Knowing she wasn't going to be able to get back to sleep, she got up and went to take a shower.

As the water hit her goosebumped skin, she went over what the random disembodied voice had said to her. _Help me_. She wondered what the girl needed help from. _Please, there's not much time left_. What did that mean exactly? Why was there seemingly a deadline? _HELP_! The last loud plea rang in her ears. For some reason the voice and urgent tone of it seemed familiar.

She washed her hair and after rinsing, turned the old shower knobs. Looking in the mirror, she remembered the moment between her and Madison in the bathroom. How for a split second, she thought Madison only wanted to have sex with her, not her AND Kyle. She shook her head and tried to let the thought go. Why was she bothering to think about Madison in the first place? She had decided to leave simply because she wasn't going to become the next Supreme. Or at least that's what Kyle told her.

For some reason she wasn't so sure. Maybe because Kyle was the only one who had told her that. Any time she asked Cordelia or Queenie, they seemed a bit uneasy and confused, saying that after Madison refused to resurrect Zoe, she was scolded by Myrtle and ran upstairs, angry. After that no one saw her again. The tone in which they told the story made it seem like there were some loose ends or pieces missing, as if no one was exactly sure where Madison ran off to. Kyle told Zoe she climbed out of a window and presumably caught a bus to L.A.. But Zoe remembered how Madison had told her she had no money left at all and the fact all of Madison's clothes were still here when she came back to life made her question Kyle's side of the story.

But Cordelia was too busy to try and solve the mystery, if there even was one. And in the words of Queenie "I don't give two shits about where that boozed up white girl went." That seemed to be the general attitude of the new students too, just because none of them ever met yet alone got to know Madison (besides what they had seen about her in the media). Then again, neither did Zoe. So why did she care so much?

Maybe it was because, despite her faults and flaws, Madison was her first friend at the academy. Madison was the one who repeatedly hung out with her, even if they weren't on the best of terms during said 'hanging out'. Madison was the one who understood how much she liked Kyle and knew it was important to Zoe to bring him back (even though it was probably Misty who had performed the actual magic). Madison was the one who had let them share Kyle, and even though it wasn't the ideal situation at the time, she respected Madison for being honest about her own feelings for him. Some girls would have just outright 'stolen' him.

The last memory she had of Madison was when they were transmutating and poking each other, like they were were five again and playing tag. After that everything went black.

Myrtle explained what had happened to Zoe when she awoke. She saw Queenie bandaging some wounds and Myrtle hanging above her head, humming and shining a flashlight into her eyes.

Zoe remembered panicking and looking around while Myrtle started to 'shush' her and Queenie grabbed her hand. "Now, now dear." Myrtle had said "Don't move too much, Queenie needs to finish." She looked over and saw her giving a small smile. "Where's Ms. Cordelia?" she laid her head back down.

Myrtle had chuckled and pointed next to the table she was laying on. Zoe turned her head slightly and saw Cordelia lying on the floor. For a moment she thought maybe she might be dead, but she noticed her stomach rise up and down. She also noted how her previously empty eye sockets were now replaced by beautiful lids, and the scars from her acid burn were nowhere to be seen.

"Is-" Zoe paused and looked at both Myrtle and Queenie "-is Ms. Cordelia the new Supreme?" Myrtle smiled and nodded in response, looking over at Cordelia and beaming like a proud mother. Zoe laughed, glad that the whole 'Seven Wonders' ordeal was over. Especially glad the Cordelia was Supreme and she had brought her back.

"What happened to me?" Zoe asked a little while later. Her, Queenie, Myrtle and Cordelia were all sitting at the dining room table. "Well…" Cordelia put down her cup of tea "From what Myrtle tells me, while you, Queenie and Madison were performing the transmutation part of the test, you got a little careless." Myrtle shook her head and grimaced while she took a sip of her own tea. "You weren't quite focused enough, which caused you to transmutate yourself into an object." Zoe looked over at Myrtle with a confused expression.

"The sharp iron gates surrounding the academy, dear." Myrtle sipped again, her pinky up. Zoe lifted her black shirt and peered at the bloodied bandages.

"Don't mess with those, Zoe." Cordelia reached a hand out, motioning for her to put her shirt down. "Why doesn't this hurt?" she asked, shakily grabbing her teacup and sipping.

"Well-" Cordelia started "Witches are known for their great tolerance of pain and miraculous healing abilities." Myrtle boomed out in interruption. She pushed up her glasses. "Right." Cordelia smiled slightly, but was visibly annoyed. "I'll also have to perform a few harmless healing spells on you to fix what your body won't on it's own." Cordelia reached out her hand to grab and stroke Zoe's. She smiled kindly and Zoe smiled back.

Zoe brought herself back to the present moment and looked at the scars on her stomach. She quickly grabbed a towel and started to dry her hair, preparing herself for her second first day at Robichaux Academy.


	2. Unfamiliar Woes

Cordelia smoothed out her black pencil skirt and straightened the collar on her cream-colored blouse. She touched the pearls of her necklace and shut her eyes, giving out a long sigh. She placed her hands on the black vanity, eyes still shut.

Being the new Supreme had it's perks, and she was glad it was her who had become it, but it also brought along a whole new sense of stress and responsibility. The death of Misty, her mother Fiona, and her adoptive mother, Myrtle, didn't help either.

Every night, after she finished with the new students, along with Zoe and Queenie, she would smile and head off to her bedroom. No reading by the fireplace, or setting out tea and cookies for the girls who couldn't quite get to sleep yet, as the other headmasters and Supremes had done before her. She simply climbed the looming staircase, keeping her composure as she made her way to the master bedroom. She would smile and say 'goodnight' to the occasional student that passed her in the hallway.

Once she closed the doors behind her, she would walk over to her king-sized bed, collapse onto the down comforter, and sob. She always made sure to lock the doors so no new students, or Zoe or Queenie, walked in on her.

She cried until no more tears would come, mourning the loss of some of the greatest witches she knew. Misty's death was the most painful, Cordelia knowing full well she was still stuck in that hell, whatever it happened to be.

Sometimes she became angry at the traditions, cursing those before her who demanded all those possible of being the new Supreme to enter and escape their own personal hell. She cried even more when she remembered how sad and pained her mother had looked, not to mention weak, when she passed.  
She didn't know how many times or to what level her mother had 'cheated' the magic system, messing with things she would have been better off not to. But she knew it was enough for whatever dark forces she had dealt with to come back to her after her death and ask for their 'payment'. She knew her mother was not in a happy place. She knew her mother was not in heaven.

She opened her eyes and looked in the mirror, noticing a few tears had fallen down her cheeks. She wiped them away, taking in a deep breath and exhaling, smiling to put on a brave face for the new girls.


	3. Ghostly Discussions

Zoe entered the dining hall (previously room, but the name had been changed when the student body increased considerably) and looked around for Queenie. She saw her talking with a few of the new students. She was laughing and probably cracking jokes about things that had happened in the previous years she had been there. That was something Zoe envied. Her ability to keep a sense of humour, even in the darkest of times.

She walked over to the table she was standing at and smiled at the girls.

"Good morning, Ms. Benson." they said in unison. She blushed slightly and shook her head "Zoe is fine. I've told you all that before." They chuckled and looked over at Queenie.

"I was just telling the new girls about some of the shit we got into last year." Queenie smiled then laughed. Zoe's mind instantly flashed to Madison's limp body, in the sloppy bed of disgusting frat boys. She bit her lip and shook the thought from her head.

"Hope it was nothing too crazy." she joked. They laughed again, along with Queenie.

"Nah, just about 'The Seven Wonders' business mostly." Zoe chuckled and noticed the sudden glum expression of the girls at the table.

"We're really sorry about Misty." the small blonde one said. Zoe remembered Cordelia holding Misty's lifeless body and sobbing while she turned to ash. The other girls nodded and stared down at their plates.

"Yeah." Zoe sighed a little but smiled "We all are." she rubbed her arm awkwardly.

"Uh, Queenie, do you want to join me at the staff table, please?" Zoe pinched the side of Queenie's lion graphic tee. Queenie rolled her eyes but waved 'bye' to the girls and followed Zoe.

The staff table was just the original dining room table that sat her, Queenie, Nan and Madison when they were the only Robichaux students.

Zoe pulled out her chair and saw Kyle walk over with a platter of breakfast food.

"Oh, morning." she said. She felt awkward around him since thinking about the Madison story.

He smiled and lifted a platter cover. "What would you ladies like this morning?" Queenie pointed to the bacon and eggs, grabbing two biscuits off the tray herself.

"Uh, I'll just get an orange from the kitchen later. But thank you." Zoe pulled her sleeves over her hands. Kyle nodded and placed the cover back over the food. He walked away to serve the new students.

"What do you need, girl?" Queenie put a piece of bacon in her mouth.

"I-" Zoe wasn't sure how to explain what had happened the previous night "-something happened last night."

"Oh?" Cordelia was walking up to the table. She sat down and looked at Zoe.

"Oh. Good morning Ms. Cordelia." Zoe smiled at her. Queenie gave a 'yo' and went back to eating.

"Is everything alright, Zoe?" Cordelia placed her hand on Zoe's shoulder.

"Well, I think so…" she grabbed her fork and fiddled with it. "Something kind of weird happened last night."

"Weird how?" Cordelia motioned for Kyle to come over. He poured her a glass of orange juice and placed a few egg whites on her plate. She thanked him and waved him off.

"Well, while I was sleeping, my body sort of…" she looked from Cordelia to Queenie "Froze up." Cordelia unfolded her napkin and placed it in her lap, eyes still on Zoe the whole time.

"I tried to move, or like, fight it off. I thought maybe I was having night terrors or something. But I heard a voice." She put a piece of hair behind her ear. Cordelia and Queenie were both paused in their eating.

"What kind of voice?" Queenie asked.

"I couldn't really tell at first, but all I could figure out eventually was that it was probably a girl." Zoe tapped her fingers against the off-white tablecloth.

"Anything else?" Cordelia asked while cutting her eggs. Zoe nodded. "She needed help…she sounded desperate...whoever she was." Cordelia nodded and took a bite of her food.

"It's not uncommon for witches to be able to hear spirits, as you two know." She wiped her mouth. Zoe nodded, recalling the incident with Misty stuck in the coffin.

"Do you think it's a live spirit?" she traced the edge of the plate. Queenie paused and seemed to think about the question.

"You mean someone who's alive, but not able to conventionally contact the outside world? Like a girl trapped in some serial killer's basement or something?" Queenie looked over at Cordelia, who shot her a disapproving look.

"You know it's not that simple or broad Queenie." Cordelia dabbed at her mouth "Usually the voices we can hear are either those of other witches, the dead, or those who have previously been dead." She took a sip of orange juice. "Can you tell us anything more specific, Zoe?" she rested her hand on her chin.

"Uh...well, she said 'Help!'. And then…" Zoe looked at the both of them "She said 'There's not much time left!'" Zoe imitated the urgent tone. "And lastly she just yelled 'Help!' really loudly." She looked at Cordelia and bit her nails, already close to the skin.

"Hm…" Cordelia laced her fingers and put her chin against them. "And that's all you heard?" Cordelia asked with knit brows. Zoe nodded and placed her hands in her lap.

For some reason she felt bad for bringing the incident up so early in the morning. Maybe because saying it out loud made it seem like a small deal, not a big one. Not something that needed to be addressed on the first day of a new year at a witch academy. That's why she had originally just wanted to talk to Queenie about it.

Cordelia looked deep in thought and Queenie had gone back to her plate of food. Zoe stared down at her lap, twiddling her thumbs. She tried to get lost in the general 'buzz' of the crowd but couldn't stop thinking about the voice.

Her thoughts were partially interrupted when she heard Cordelia scrape a fork against her plate. Zoe and Queenie looked over at her.

"Because of the urgency and vibe I'm picking up..." Cordelia started looking through the window "-I'm at least seventy five percent sure it's a dead spirit."

Zoe almost asked if Cordelia thought it was Misty, but quickly stopped herself and realized that might make her really upset. She remembered her sobbing over Misty's body as she lay limp, the thought in her head again..

"So-" Zoe gulped and clenched her hands into fists "-why did they contact me?" she gnawed at her bottom lip.

"Well, like I said, they're usually dead, witches, or re-animated if we hear them. Maybe the spirit felt really comfortable with you and decided to ask for what sounds like a call for help." Cordelia took another sip of her juice.

"Love you girls, please be careful with the new students." Cordelia scooted and stood up from her chair.

"Whe're you going?" Queenie asked. She was spreading jelly on her biscuit in the process.

"To do some reading." Her heels clicked against the polished wood floor.


	4. Troubled Keeper

Cordelia pulled the golden skeleton key out from between her breasts. It seemed 'promiscuous' or cliché, but it's the only place she trusted no one could steal it.

She turned to look around the hall and make sure no curious students had followed her. She heard one of the instructors starting a lecture and turned the key in the lock, knowing class had started.

She pushed the heavy cherry wood doors of the library open. The familiar musty scent of the chairs and old books hit her. She closed the doors behind her and locked them.

The books were barely categorized in any kind of system, so she didn't have any idea how long she was going to be in there.

She sighed and drew the curtains on the bay window. She didn't want to lose track of the time and always preferred sunlight to read in, rather than a lamp (if she had the option of choosing).

She started on the right side of the library, since the whole room was in a circular shape. She climbed the rolling ladder and started to run her eyes across the titles and fingers across the books. She coughed slightly, clouds of dust forming as her fingertips ran down the spines.

In her field of vision, she had only found one book that might help, so she grabbed it and pushed herself over to the next row of shelves.

She tried staying super-focused, but her thoughts drifted to how Zoe and Queenie and the new girls in general were doing on their first day. Queenie and Zoe had both arrived mid-semester, so she wasn't sure how they felt now that they were having a 'proper' beginning in the academy.

After a few hours of looking through the entire library, she had acquired a sizeable amount of books. She walked over to the back desk and placed the three books she had in hand on the pile she had started. She felt her stomach growl and placed her hand on it. She looked out the window, at the sun, and noticed that it was now directly overhead. At the 'top' of the sky. She figured studying on an empty stomach wouldn't do her any good.

She quickly locked and exited the library. She glanced at the clock in the hallway and saw that it was only fifteen minutes until the student and staff lunchtime. She decided she'd wait in her office and check her e-mail.

She unlocked the office with a standard key. As she entered the room, she took notice of a red box on one of her shelves. It was sitting next to a figure of a porcelain ballerina. Her mother had sent the figure from France as a gift for her fourteenth birthday.

She cautiously approached the area, looking around for any intruders. She grabbed a letter-opener from her desk as she passed it.  
When she got close, she quickly poked the box with the blade. She knew 'hexes' weren't usually obvious, but her childlike sense of fear was overtaking her at this moment.

The box simply shifted against the metal. She felt her shoulders get less tense. She took in another breath and held it. She grabbed the satin box with hesitance.

"What the hell are you doing?" she heard a voice behind her ask. She jumped a little and noticed the ballerina list to the right. She grabbed it before it could break against the glass.

She quickly turned around and saw Zoe looking back at her, eyebrows knit.

"Zoe…" Cordelia firmly stated. "Don't sneak up on people like that! Especially if they have a sharp object in one of their hands."

Zoe crossed her arms and cocked her head a bit. "That's the reason I came in here in the first place." She grabbed the opener from Cordelia's hand and placed it back on the desk.

She looked back over at Cordelia. "Are you okay?" she crossed her arms again. Cordelia stared at the carpet for a second then looked up and nodded.  
"Aren't you supposed to still be in class?" Cordelia still had the box firmly in her grasp.

"The professor let me out early in order to see if Kyle needed any help with the lunch." Zoe's eyes fixed on her. "I passed your office and saw you approaching your shelves with what looked like a knife, so I figured something was up." Cordelia nodded. "We have to look out for each other. Remember what you told us?" Zoe quipped and took the box from Cordelia.

"Zoe!" was all Cordelia could shout before Zoe opened it. Cordelia tensed up, afraid it would explode or something. Nothing happened and Zoe rolled her eyes a bit.

"It's a watch." Zoe said. Cordelia peered at the open box and saw she was right. "This isn't 'Harry Potter' Ms. Cordelia, no one's gonna put a spell on the box." she handed the box and lid over to her "I'm gonna go help Kyle and the kitchen staff." Zoe gave her shoulder a quick squeeze and walked out.

Cordelia looked down and saw Zoe hadn't noticed there was a note under the lid. Cordelia's lips hardened when she saw the handwriting. It was Myrtle's.  
_  
To the greatest and bravest witch I've ever known. Know that time is one of the most important things any witch can acknowledge. Live in it, not against it.  
- Forever your biggest fan,  
Myrtle Snow_

She felt her eyes start to sting with tears and looked at the box. Inside was a gorgeous watch, with a coal black leather band and mother of pearl face. The number and hands were gold. It even had a moon phase 'calendar' on the face, it in silver.

She sat on her leather chair and covered her face, a few tears streaming across her palms. She sobbed quietly and shut the door with her telepathy, not wanting the students to see her in this state.

She licked her lips and grabbed a tissue from the box on the desk, blotting against her cheeks. She also dried her hands, worried she would destroy the genuine leather if she touched it with wet fingers.

She delicately grabbed the watch, looking around it and the box for some kind of tag to remove. When she didn't see one she quickly realized this wasn't a brand new or just any watch. It was Myrtle's own.

"Oh…" she whimpered, fighting back more tears. She shakily got the watch on her left wrist. The sun hit it and the pearl turned into a million shades of the rainbow. She smiled and laughed to herself.

She figured Myrtle had put some sort of spell to either keep her from noticing it until today or one that simply made the box invisible for awhile.  
She looked up when she heard the doors opening as the sound of feet shuffling and chattering filled the space.

She heard a quick series of knocks against her own door and quickly wiped any leftover tears off her face.

"Ms. Cordelia?" she heard Queenie ask "Are you in there? Lunch is starting."

"Yes, Queenie, thank you. I'll be right out." she pushed out the swivel chair and quickly put the box in her desk's drawer.

She opened the door and saw Queenie waiting for her. She smiled and turned to lock the door. When she turned back, several new students had paused and turned their faces to look at her. She wasn't used to all the attention the Supreme seemed to receive.

"Hello girls." she cleared her throat. "Hope you all had a good morning. We'll be going to lunch now, and I hope we all have and participate in a good afternoon." She realized she sounded like a grade-school teacher, but she had never dealt with such a large student body before. She was very new to trying to talk to a big group.

They smiled and a few chuckled and continued walking towards the dining hall.

Queenie looked over at her and smirked. Cordelia's eyes widened, as if to say 'I know'.

They got to the staff table, where Zoe was already sitting. Cordelia noticed she was looking down and saw she had a newspaper in her hands.

"Checking basketball scores?" Queenie joked. Zoe looked up and made a minor shocked expression, as if she had been deep in thought.

"Uh, yeah. Totally." she put the newspaper on the corner of the table.

Kyle walked over with three prepared plates. Queenie got hers and stared down at the plate of fried fish, lima beans, corn, rice and a small piece of cake with a displeased expression. She looked back up at Cordelia.

"Eat that or don't eat anything until dinner. You may be on the staff, but you're still a student here, so I'm not going to give you excessive special treatment." Cordelia said, cutting into her own fish.

She looked over at Zoe and noticed she had already finished her fish, probably because of the hunger from not eating breakfast. Zoe noticed her looking and smiled back.

"I'm guessing you never got that orange." she said and took a sip of iced tea. Zoe guiltily nodded. Cordelia chuckled and poked Zoe's leg with the head of her pump under the table.

As the girls headed off for afternoon classes, Cordelia caught Zoe's arm before she walked away. Zoe looked down at her with a puzzled expression.

"Are you okay?" Cordelia whispered. Zoe looked around and nodded. "Yeah. I'm fine. Why?" Cordelia waited for the crowd to thin. Her grip got tighter as she said "You seemed almost…" she paused as she let her eyes trail to the window. She swallowed and looked back up. "Anguished. When me and Queenie got to the table." She let her hand fall to Zoe's wrist.

"I just wanted to see if anything was wrong." Zoe looked back at her. They stared at each other for a few seconds. "Yeah, I'm good." she smiled at Cordelia.  
"I should be getting to class...but…" Zoe took Cordelia's hand in her own. "-thank you for checking up on me." she smiled wider.

Cordelia nodded and Zoe let go of her hand, walking off. She looked down at her empty plate and chewed her lip.

The air still felt heavy and she wasn't completely satisfied with Zoe's response.

She heard footsteps and looked up. Kyle approached her with a stack of dirty dishes in his hands.

"Anything I can do for you, Ms. Cordelia?" he asked as he grabbed her plate and added it to the pile. He turned to her and politely smiled.

"No, thank you, Kyle. That'll be all for now." she smiled at him and got up from the table.

As she got close to the doorway, she turned her head and saw Kyle standing near the window, looking at the big oak tree.

Something about it felt off.


	5. Straying Understandings

Zoe sat in her last class and tried to pay attention, but the whole spirit thing and promise of free hours after the class let out made her antsy and unfocused.  
Plus, half the stuff the professor was droning on about were things she had learned at her orientation here, the first year.

She tried to keep her eyes focused on something, but they simply kept going to the room's large window, which was cracked to let slight breeze in. Several girls around her still fanned themselves with sheets of notebook paper.

She couldn't stop thinking about the newspaper. She had lied to Cordelia and the professor when she said she was leaving class early to help Kyle.  
She was actually going to see if she could find that morning's paper.

When she looked out the school's front windows, she saw it lying at the head of the walkway. Her mood wasn't brightened by the constant feeling of being watched as she stepped into the sunlight.

It only went away once she had gotten the newspaper and back inside.

She got to the staff table and quickly ripped off the plastic wrapping. She flipped to the obituaries as new students filled the dining hall.

She knew what she was looking for, but wouldn't admit it to herself. She peered down the list as several older people and the occasional middle-aged wife or tragic child showed up. Her assumption wasn't confirmed.

She heard Queenie say something and looked up. "Uh, yeah. Totally." she replied absentmindedly. She discarded the paper and tried to seem present. She simply smiled and nodded when spoken to.

She realized she wasn't very good at hiding her worries when Cordelia held her back to talk.

She brought herself back to the present, looking at the clock above the professor's head. Only fifteen minutes before the end of the first school day.

She still had the newspaper in her knapsack, as if what she was looking for was going to show up. Like it was in invisible ink.

The loud grandfather clock finally clanged, letting the professor and students know the day was over.

The classroom filled with hushed and excited chatter as the girls discussed what they were going to do before dinner.

In her daze, Zoe had forgotten to put her school supplies in her bag. Several girls passed her as she gathered her books and pencils. She felt a tap on her shoulder and looked up. Rebekah looked back at her.

"Oh, hey Rebekah. How are you?" she grabbed her bag and put in on her shoulder.

"Good." Rebekah stared down at her nails. "Um...that's good." Zoe replied, not sure what to say since Rebekah seemed uninterested.

"Do you need anything?" Zoe asked, figuring the girl might have come to her as a student, not a classmate.

"Is there anything fun to do here? Like, in the house?" Rebekah put a stick of chewing gum in her mouth and offered Zoe a piece. She politely declined.

"Well, there's the art room. You can draw or sculpt in there. There's a T.V. slash activity room that has boardgames. The backyard has a big gazebo that you can relax on. There's even a swing set." she saw Rebekah roll her eyes. "There's a smoking porch, but you have to be eighteen to go there. But, it's not like anyone really notices or even checks, so…" she looked to see if Rebekah was listening. "And you're free to help the kitchen staff if that's your sort of thing. We usually just liked to hang out in our rooms or the den until dinner was ready." She finished and gripped the bag's strap.

Rebekah nodded and looked around the room. She turned back to Zoe. "Who's 'we'?" she asked.

"Uh, me and Queenie." Zoe hesitated saying the other three names, in fear of having to explain all of the past year drama and witch antics in general. She figured Rebekah had already heard a watered down version of it anyway.

"Just you two?" Rebekah popped her gum. Zoe gulped and wrapped her fingers tightly around a ballpoint pen.

"Um, yeah. Guess that's why we're on the staff now." she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. Rebekah's green eyes wouldn't leave her own.

"I really need to go, Rebekah. Staff stuff." she put the pen back into her bag "But if you need anything else, I'm sure Queenie or Cordelia could help you." she gave a small smile and wave, brushing against Rebekah's shoulder as she walked out of the room.

She got to the dining hall and looked around for Kyle. She saw him folding napkins near the fireplace.

"Hey." she walked up behind him and gave a small hug. He froze a little.

"Zoe, I don't think this is appropriate during school hours." he retorted in a stern tone.  
She grimaced and let go. "Okay, but school's over." she jerked her head towards the direction of the clock on the mantle. He looked at it and just nodded.

"Well, even so, I'm still in uniform, so." he continued to fold. Zoe sighed and plopped her bag down next to a chair across from him.  
"Okay, whatever." she sat down and reached into the bag for her legal pad and a pen. She placed them on the table and Kyle paused.

"And what is that for, exactly?" He pointed to the pad of paper. "And how is it going to help me get ready for the first dinner, an annual Robichaux tradition."

Zoe rolled her eyes and popped the pen's cap off. "God, you're no fun when you work. I swear, everyday you get more and more like that old creep, Spalding." she placed the cap between her teeth and flipped over to a clean sheet of paper. She noticed Kyle had stopped moving.

She looked up and saw him seemingly stare off into space. She looked at his hands and noticed one hand was wrapped so tightly around a napkin that his knuckles had turned white.

"Kyle!" she shouted, trying to draw him from the haze. He looked down at his hands and quickly let go, the white cloth now a crumpled heap.

"I'm sorry, I just-" he looked at Zoe and chuckled "-got lost in a thought, I guess." she nodded in response.

"Uh," he started, slowly getting back to the napkins "-what's the notebook for?" he smiled wider. She smiled a little.

"I don't really wanna pry, but…" she looked around the room for any other staff "I, kinda need you to tell me the Madison story again." she tapped against the paper with her nails.

"Zoe, we've been over this." he sighed and walked over to a new basket of napkins, bringing them back over with him.

"I know, I know, and you've been so patient and kind about it, but-" she placed her hand on his. He smiled at her. "But what?" he made a seemingly exhausted expression.

"I just…" Zoe struggled to find the right words to say, not wanting to tip Kyle off to her suspicion of him "Wanted to take a few notes this time. For official Robichaux records." she lied.

Kyle was on the staff but she knew he didn't have much of an idea about what the witches on staff did. He knew they were witches, like the rest of the cleaning and cooking staff, but was pretty much kept in the dark about what they did as staff members. Again, so was the cleaning and cooking staff. So she hoped he would think listing the last whereabouts of a missing student was official business and just the norm.

She wrote 'Madison Montgomery' in big letters at the top of the page and looked back up at him.

"So, if you don't mind, since you were the last person to see her-" she stared down at the napkins, still afraid he'd catch her in a lie "-could you please tell me exactly what happened. Before she hopped out the window and onto a bus, I mean." She chewed on the cap, which she had placed back on the bottom of the pen.

Kyle sighed and continued to fold. "Well, I was in you and Madison's room, waiting for 'The Seven Wonders' test to be over." She looked at his face and noted that he wasn't looking at her "When I heard some yelling coming from downstairs." He paused and looked at her "This was after you had…" his voice cracked a little "You know." He frowned, but picked up another cloth. She nodded.

"I recognized Myrtle and Madison's voices, so I figured Madison was in some kind of trouble. For what, I'm not sure." she had been tapping her pen but slowed down when he said that last part. His voice had wavered. She picked up the pace and wrote a note down. She had her arms positioned so that Kyle couldn't see what she was writing.

"After that, I heard someone running upstairs. Madison came into the room in a rage and started throwing things into a duffel bag." he said. Zoe's mind instantly flashed to the drawers full of expensive, designer clothes. Barely anything of Madison's had been missing.

"She screamed about how she knew she was the Supreme and Myrtle wouldn't crown her only because she was playing favorites with Ms. Cordelia. She grabbed some things from the bathroom, zipped up her bag, then quickly said goodbye to me. After that, she climbed out the window and down the oak tree." Kyle took a stack of folded napkins and started placing them on one of the tables. Zoe turned to face him, pen and paper in hand. "And that's all she said to you? She didn't try to convince you to come with her or anything?" she asked, knowing Madison still had feelings for him when they had last seen each other. He stood still for a moment, as if he was thinking hard.

"Nope. Just a quick goodbye." he continued around the table. Zoe moved her eyes so she could get a better look at him. He looked like he was hiding something.

He wouldn't make eye contact with her when he was finishing the story and was a little frantic in his movements. This was one of those times she wished witches had the ability to read minds.

She had shared the thought/curiosity with Cordelia before, who simply replied "If you watch people close enough, you can usually tell what they're thinking." and that was all she said on the matter. So that's what Zoe was doing. She wrote down a few more notes.

"So that's it?" Zoe asked Kyle as he started on another pile of unfolded clothes "That's all you remember happening?" she pressed the pen cap against her thumb. He nodded his head "Yeah, that's it. At least in terms of what I saw." he started to fold more quickly.

"Are you sure that's _all _you remember happening?" she knew she was pressing her luck by trying to give him the third degree, but she was still so curious about exactly had happened to Madison.

He paused and looked at her. "Yes, Zoe. That's it." he curtly said. She was surprised by his tone and it took her a minute to recover and write another note.

"Can I see what you wrote?" he asked in a calmer voice. She quickly placed her hands over the paper and shook her head. "Sorry, only main staff is allowed to look at records." She grabbed the pad and stuffed it back into the bag. She got up and gave Kyle a small peck on the cheek. "See you at dinner." she whispered before leaving. Kyle gave a small smile.

She climbed the stairs to her room, opting to take a nap before dinnertime. She had a lot to think about that night.


	6. Jovial Nightfall

Since it was the first official school day, or end of it to be exact, Cordelia decided she'd follow the tradition of making cookies and tea for the girls.

She didn't have time to do anything, from scratch, so she had gotten the type of cookies you only had to stick on a cookie sheet and in the oven. She also had gotten pre-packaged tea. She knew if Myrtle were still around, she'd scold her for the fact that a botanist was making store-bought tea.

She sighed and arranged the circles of dough onto a baking pan. A few leftover kitchen workers and live-in maids shuffled around her, frantically trying to clean up in order to finish on time.

She looked at the doorway and saw Queenie walk in. She smiled and gave her a small wave. Queenie waved back and walked over to the counter.

"Hey." she said quietly. "Hello." Cordelia replied "Did you need something?" she looked at her watch. It was twenty minutes until curfew.

"No, not really. I'm mostly bored." Queenie rested her arms on the countertop and looked around. "What're you doing?" she asked.

Cordelia grabbed a women's magazine someone had left behind and flipped through it. "Nothing much." she flipped to the asinine and predictable horoscope section. "Making cookies and tea for you all." Cordelia smirked at Queenie, who laughed.

"I remember when you used to hide in your little greenhouse all the time." Queenie chuckled and played with one of her bracelets.

Cordelia nodded "Yeah, Myrtle was much more up to this kind of thing…" she paused and glanced down at the watch again "Being social and having a legitimate conversation or discussion with the students."

The preheat timer went off and she grabbed the sheet of cookies, placing them in the oven. She set the timer and walked back over to the counter, looking at the featured interview in the magazine.

"If you want to do something else with the other girls, you're perfectly free to, Queenie." Cordelia looked up from the magazine. "I'm sure playing a game of UNO with the new girls would be a lot more fun than watching the Supreme make cookies." Cordelia grabbed an apple from the bowl in front of her and bit into it. She looked around the kitchen as she chewed.

"Nah, I've been talking to those damn girls all day." Queenie laughed a bit. "Chilling in here with you is actually kind of relaxing." she looked at Cordelia and smiled. Cordelia paused in her chewing and smiled back.

"Most of the new girls are sweet and all, but they ask a lot of questions. I'm sure after a few weeks I won't be so annoyed by them." Cordelia smiled as she walked over to the screaming tea kettle. She poured the hot water into a nice teapot and placed two bags of tea in the pot, wanting it to be extra potent.

"That's a part of being a staff member and a member of the council." Cordelia glanced at the timer. She sighed and looked back over at Queenie. "At least you can relate to them." she bit into the apple again.

Queenie rolled her eyes. "You're so dramatic sometimes, Ms. Cordelia." Queenie walked around the counter to her. She leaned on one hand placed against the marble. "You can relate to these girls too. You're their saviour. You gave them a place where they could and are safe. A place where they can interact with others like them. And you're their leader."

Queenie took the magazine and rolled it up, lightly tapping Cordelia on the nose with it. "Don't be so hard on yourself. You've gotten this far and never been selfish, any step of the way. Even seemingly selfish things were to help the coven." Cordelia slowly nodded and smiled at Queenie, staring down at the tiled floor next.

"You've got this, Ms. C." Queenie patted her shoulder. Cordelia looked back up and mouthed 'thank you'. Queenie smiled back.

The timer dinged and she walked to pull the tray out of the oven. The cookies had slight burn marks at the edges.

"Dammit!" Cordelia exclaimed in frustration. She heard Queenie laugh and looked over at her.

"I'm sorry-" Queenie kept a hand over her mouth. "It's just…" she caught her breath. "Did you put any cooking spray on the sheet?" Queenie wiped at the corner of her eyes.

Cordelia bit her lip, flustered. "No." she replied quickly in a whisper. One of the cooks walked over to them.

"Ms. Cordelia, is everything okay? I smelled burning." the cook placed a hand over her nose.

"Yes, Gabriella, everything is fine." Cordelia's cheeks slightly flushed. "I just tried to to bake and…" Cordelia stared down at the messed up array of cookies.

"Why didn't you spray the pan?" Gabriella asked. Queenie was still laughing a bit.

"It said to have an ungreased cookie sheet." Cordelia sputtered out. "No one ever taught me how to cook!" she yelped.

Queenie laughed while shaking her head and walked over to the drawer of spatulas. She pulled one out and walked over to Cordelia, pulling the tray away from her. She had also grabbed the PAM and put it and the spatula on the cookies. They resisted slightly, but eventually came up from the thin metal.

"Well, I believe that." Queenie said as she put the items away. "But, why?" she asked as she walked around the counter and licked the butter spray from her fingers. She pushed the tray towards Cordelia.

"Well…" Cordelia felt her breath catch in her throat, realizing she hadn't talked about her upbringing in a while. At least with someone who wasn't Myrtle or her mother. She grabbed a plate from the cabinets.

"I lived with my mother and two of her husbands until I was about thirteen or fourteen. And you know how she is." Cordelia sighed through her nose and placed the cookies on the plate.

She brought the teapot to the counter and removed the bags with a spoon.

"And being here, we had Spalding on the staff, so I never had any reason to cook for anyone or myself. And then the population of witches lessened so much that I just assumed Myrtle would have to close our doors." She arranged the cookies in a prettier fashion and went to the upper cabinets to find the matching teacups and saucers.

"But Nan arrived and Spalding stayed, so again, I really had no need to learn." she grabbed a box of sugar cubes, a creamer bowl, and a small tin for said sugar cubes. She arranged those also.

She looked at her watch and saw it was now curfew. When she brought her head back up, she noticed Zoe was now next to Queenie.

"Oh, hello." she smiled at her and walked around to look for a silver platter.

"What kind of tea is that?" Zoe tucked a stray hair behind her ear. She had the rest of it up in a wet bun, along with her pajamas already on.

"Sleepy time. It's sleepy time tea." Cordelia found one and placed everything on it. She snapped and Kyle walked over from a different room. She noticed Zoe back away as Kyle got closer.

"Could you put these in the den, please, Kyle?" she pushed the tray his way. He nodded in response and walked away with it in hand.

"How are we gonna drink that if we're supposed to be in our rooms?" Zoe quipped. Cordelia knit her brows and walked over to the newly installed intercom. Her hand hovered over the 'hold' button.

"It's common practice for Supremes and Head Mistresses to make tea and cookies for the students, old and new, in order to help those with sleeping problems. Without magic, that is." She pressed the button and announced that the girls could come eat if they were all ready for bed.

"They're just gonna make us fat." she heard Zoe mumble between chewing one of the cookies. Cordelia chuckled and looked over at her. She was looking at the magazine now. Her and Queenie would comment on a cute purse or dress every few seconds.

"Yes. The most basic one is similar to an alarm clock. You have to use a lot of expensive, sedative plants though. You write down what time you want to be asleep by and what time you want to wake up. Then you drink the elixir and instantly fall asleep."

"Why do people need that? Why don't they take a melatonin or have a beer or something?" Zoe looked up at Cordelia with her eyebrows raised.

"It's mostly for the worst of insomniacs. Or people who are having trouble sleeping due to traumatic events." Cordelia sipped from the teacup she had poured for herself. She grimaced, used to the nice, non-bagged kind.

"Have you ever had to use it?" Zoe asked, smiling a bit. Cordelia paused mid-sip. "Only when my mother first dropped me off here." she gave a sad smile.

Cordelia noticed Queenie shove Zoe, as if she was scolding her for asking the question. Zoe just looked surprised and then shrugged slightly.

"I'll be going to my room now, girls. Keep everyone, including your-selves, out of trouble please." Cordelia walked over to give each of them a hug.

As she headed to her room, she noticed Kyle staring up the staircase. She stopped walking and called out to him.

"Everything alright up there?" she asked. He quickly turned his head, as if he'd been caught doing something wrong. "Ah, yes, Ms. Cordelia." he rolled up his sleeves, already having taken his suit jacket off. "Just making sure no girls are lollygagging around." he smiled slightly. She smiled back and nodded.

"Well, I've given Zoe and Queenie den duty, so you can relax now if you'd like." she started walking again. "Sure. Thanks Ms. Cordelia." she heard him say behind her.

"Goodnight, Kyle." she replied, turning her head to face him as she reach the top step. "Goodnight." he said back quietly and gave a small wave.

Cordelia got out of the shower and into her nightgown. After finishing her nighttime beauty regimen, she stared at the stack of books on her vanity. She knew she had a lot of studying to do. She sighed and grabbed the one on top.

As she got into bed she grabbed the white legal pad from her bedside table, along with a pen, and began reading.


	7. Somber Patron

Zoe and Queenie sat right next to the fireplace. The heat from the flames was starting to make Zoe sweat a little.

Not many girls had shown up for the cookies. Zoe assumed it was probably because of the burnt smell coming from the kitchen. Or the fact that the first day of school always seemed to be the most exhausting, whether you were a witch or not.

"So..." she started, lightly tapping her hands against the sides of the armchair. "How do you guys like Robichaux so far?"

Rebekah, a girl named Amber, and two girls whispering constantly to each other in French, Starr and Celena, were the only other students in the den. They all stared back with slightly blank expressions. Starr and Celena continued to whisper.

"It's pretty nice." Rebekah answered, sipping her tea. Amber looked at her and nodded. "Not as nice as my pad in New York, but nice." She took a bite of her cookie.

Zoe nodded and noticed Queenie turn her head to roll her eyes. Zoe knew she was biting her tongue, being a member of the council now, she couldn't use her trademark sass.

"Um…" Amber started while chewing at her nails. "It's cool. My mom went here in the eighties. I didn't even know she was a witch until she told me a few days after the news story about this place came out." she laughed a little. "Makes sense though. My diaries had a tendency to disappear and reappear a lot when I was younger." she paused "Though I guess she could have just snuck in my room while I was at soccer practice." she continued to bite her nails. She laughed again and tucked a piece of her jet-black hair behind her ear.

"My family comes from a long line of witches." Celena finally spoke in English. She flipped her blonde hair behind her shoulders. "But my aunt wasn't too convinced about the safety of this place when she was reminded of it. Guess she assumed on the safe side since half of you…" she paused and looked at the fire "-passed away, last year." she cackled and Starr laughed with her.

Zoe felt her own self biting her tongue now. She wanted to ask Celena if she could go through her own personal hell or two head witches and come out alive. But she was a member of the council now, so it'd just be seen as rude and inappropriate.

"My mother runs Marie Laveau's old shop now." Starr quipped, sipping her tea. Celena asked her something about the voodoo queen in French. "Non." she replied "It's just a passed down name. Don't tell me you really believe those old spook's tales about Marie being over a hundred years old and still running around the Earth." Starr looked at Celena and chuckled. Celena just shrugged with a sheepish expression on her face.

Zoe wasn't allowed to confirm that the rumor was, in fact, true. It was one of the new council secrets. Since they had dealt with Fiona yearning for eternal life and trying to get it by whatever means necessary, they had to keep the fact that it was a possibility a secret, lest one of the new girls get any ideas of their own.

"Shame she went missing, though." Starr leaned over to get a cookie. "Thought she was a little smarter than that." she smirked.

Due to the secret and already existing rumors, the council simply said that Marie's 'descendants' took her name and looked very similar to her. They also theorized her 'soul' eternally lived on through each woman, hence why most witches referred to her as if she was one person (which she actually had been). Anyone who had been and was in Marie's inner circle knew about her immortality.

"I wish there were some guys here." Rebekah butt in, visibly bored by Starr's slight conversation with Celena. "It was just me and my dad back home. I'm not used to all this female…" she stopped and looked around the room, mostly keeping her gaze on Celena and Starr "-energy." she peered at her nails.

Zoe bit her lip, not liking the slight but obvious tension in the air. The teenager in her enjoyed that Rebekah had been snarky towards the two, but she couldn't act that way. She cleared her throat. "Yeah." she chuckled "I had two brothers back home. Feels weird only seeing them about three times a year, excluding summer break." she rubbed her palms nervously against her knees.

"That boy who serves us food is kinda cute." Amber giggled into her teacup. Zoe tightly smiled. She wasn't allowed to tell the students her and Kyle were an item. She heard Queenie chuckle.

"I don't know, he screams 'stereotypical frat boy' to me." Rebekah crossed her legs as she retorted.

"Doesn't he seem familiar?" Starr asked "Like he was on T.V. or in the newspaper once or something?"

Zoe gulped and gripped tightly into the arms of the chair. That was one more secret she wasn't allowed to tell. The girls knew of the possibility of bringing the dead back to life, but not that any non-Supremes had the ability (as of yet). It was possible that the power would develop in a student or even a few of them later on, but highly unlikely.

"It's like I've seen his face with that name on T.V. before. And it seems like it wasn't too long ago that I did." Starr stared up at the ceiling, a puzzled and thinking look on her face.

"All white boys look the same, he could look similar to anyone really." Queenie replied.

Starr laughed "Yeah, I guess you're right." Zoe sighed out a breath of relief.

"Well, Queenie…" she started, standing up and stretching "If it's okay with you, I'm gonna head on to bed." she looked over at her, making a pleading look.

"Yeah, I'm good here. 'Night." she mockingly saluted her. "Goodnight." Zoe smirked back at her. As she walked past the couch of girls, she whispered "See you later." to Rebekah.

"See you girls in the morning, I expect you all to be up and ready by seven forty-five!" she called out from the bottom of the staircase.

She walked up the stairs and heard a few girls mumbling and suddenly stopping when they heard her footsteps. She laughed since she didn't plan on spending any of her offtime scolding the girls about late-night gossiping. She passed Cordelia's room and noticed the light was still on. She figured she was probably up late doing slight-teacher work. At her old school she'd always hear them and other faculty complain about how a teacher's work was never done at the end of a school day. She wondered if that applied to a headmistress who was a witch as well.

She got to her room and as she opened her door, she noticed Kyle sitting on her bed. She paused for a minute and looked around the hallway, making sure no one was near the room. She quickly closed the door behind her.

"Sorry, I know it's risky." Kyle said "I just couldn't wait 'till the weekend to talk to you and this is the only other time I thought it was appropriate." Zoe walked over and sat down next to him.

"Okay." she let out a small sigh and let down her hair. Kyle placed a hand on her knee. She noted how she almost flinched.

"So…" he smiled at her "How was your day?" He tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. She smiled slightly.

"It was okay. Pretty tiring. Definitely different from my first, first day." she chuckled. "It was weird having to watch myself, since I'm on the staff and council now." Kyle nodded in response.

"How was yours?" she reluctantly placed a hand on his knee. He looked at the floor then back at her. "Pretty boring, really." he shrugged. "But it gives me something to do and a place to stay, so…" he looked off, seemingly staring at one of the posters Madison had left behind and Rebekah hadn't taken down.

"I'm sure you'll get used to it." she replied softly "Did you get any reading time in?" she asked. He looked back over and shook his head. "I was figuring I'd do some when I got back to my room, after this." she nodded. "Ms. Cordelia picked me up an easy book of Grimm fairy tales to look at and try, last time she went out." he smiled a little. She smiled back.

"That's good." Zoe rubbed his back slightly. She stared at the floor, uneasy that the conversation seemed so awkward. She couldn't tell if it was because the minor suspicion she had of Kyle or the fact that, after Fiona had 'fixed' him, he seemed a lot less passionate for anything but work and a lot more violent when 'set off'. She felt like he was even more like Frankenstein's monster at this point. Functioning and vocal, but not all there or very interesting to engage with.

"Uh, well, Rebekah might be up here pretty soon and I'm pretty beat, so if you don't mind…" she looked back up at him, twiddling her thumbs.

"Oh, of course." he stood up. She followed him to the door and they went in for a quick hug.

"Goodnight." he whispered to her "I love you." he added. Normally that would have filled her with glee, but now, after the awkward 'interview' that afternoon, she just felt slightly guilty. "I love you, too." she mumbled and hugged him tighter to make it seem earnest. They broke apart and he smiled and waved as he opened the door and walked into the hallway. She waved back and quickly but quietly closed the door.

She sighed and walked over to her closet and leaned down to get a black shoebox she kept her 'secret' stuff in. She grabbed the legal pad and walked back over to her bed, getting under the covers as she flipped to her notes from that afternoon.

Later, when she heard footsteps, she quickly opened the drawer to her bedside table and threw the pad into it. She clicked off her lamp and rushed to a sleeping position, shutting her eyes and trying her best to look asleep, so Rebekah wouldn't try to chitchat with her.

She heard the door open and the girl chuckle, presumably at the sight of Zoe asleep so fast. "That sleepytime must work for her." Rebekah laughed to herself. Zoe heard her bed squeak as she got into it. She heard her whispering and assumed she was praying before she got too comfortable. Sometimes she wished she still had nighttime rituals like that.

Rebekah clicked off her own light and Zoe could hear her as she shuffled under the covers. A second later, it sounded as if she was leaning over to get something, but as to what it might be, Zoe had no idea.

Zoe had had her eyes closed for what felt like twenty minutes, but couldn't get herself to drift off to sleep. All the stuff with Kyle that afternoon and night was bothering her, and on top of that, she was getting the eerie feeling of being watched again.

She tossed and turned, and even tried covering her head with one of her pillows while softly humming to herself. Nothing worked.

She shot up quickly. She looked around the room, but it didn't help. The only source of light were a few streetlamps far off, near the sidewalks. They made everyday objects and furniture cast odd and looming shadows against the almost stark white walls.

She quickly got up and walked over to the bathroom, hoping maybe a few minutes in the bright fluorescent light would comfort her into sleepiness.

She shut the door and flipped the switch. She covered her eyes as they quickly adjusted. She looked around, slightly afraid of a ghost or bloody, mangled teenage girl showing up in the shower. Usually she would tell herself a thought like that was stupid, but with a year like the one she had just experienced, she gave herself some slack. She had proof and affirmations of almost all those specific fears in general.

She walked over to the mirror and turned the sink's hot water on. She hastily splashed her face with some while it was still lukewarm. She felt a little more comfortable as the warmth washed over her face. She reached over, with her eyes still closed, for a towel. That comfort was quickly shattered.

"Zoe!" she heard someone say in a quick, excited whisper. Her eyes shot open and she looked around the bathroom cautiously. She prayed Rebekah was in there with her. No such luck. Her eyes scanned the completely empty room and she gulped.

She gingerly grabbed the doorknob, hoping that when she opened it the girl would be on the other side. She slowly pulled and looked through the crack.

The room was dim in the leaking light of the bathroom, but she could see enough to clearly make out the outline of Rebekah's body laying in her bed. Her chest heaved up and down in a deep sleep. Zoe sighed shakily, deciding to try one more time to see if it was just Rebekah needing something, or maybe talking in her sleep.

"Re-Rebekah?" Zoe muttered in the girl's direction. No reply, except for the sound of her softly snoring. She felt her knees start to shake.

"Zoe, please!" the voice whispered right behind her shoulder. She whipped around quickly, causing her back to push against the door and shut it. She looked around. No one. Her lips began to tremble.

She shut her eyes and felt around for the knob. She hit the switch as she opened the door and quickly opened her eyes again in the bedroom.

When she saw the outline of the door, she ran quickly, trying not to bump against anything in the dark.

As she entered the hallway, she noticed how hard she was breathing. She tried to calm herself down by counting her breaths and breathing deeply. She looked around the dim but still lit (by plug-in nightlights) hallway.

She started walking towards the stairs. She didn't know where she was going, but she had to get away from her room. That was where the paranoia hit her the most. And where the ghost seemed to be active.

She passed Cordelia's room and saw the light was still on. It was at least one in the morning, but she paused in front of the door anyway. She hesitated, but soon tapped softly in a quick series of knocks.

"Who is it?" she heard Cordelia call out. She bit her lip and almost considered turning around and going back to her room. But she quickly remembered the chill that went down her spine as the voice had called her name a second time. She gulped.

"It's Zoe." she replied softly, trying not to wake anyone else up in her slight panic. She heard some shuffling and what sounded like a 'click'. She laced her fingers together in anticipation.

"Come in." Cordelia spoke a bit louder. Zoe opened the door and stood still a bit, waiting until she could see the woman.

She saw her laying in bed, with a pen and legal pad on her lap, and a big, old book open next to her. She figured she might have interrupted some work, but her nerves were too shaken to feel guilty about it.

"Can I come in?" she asked softly. Cordelia smirked slightly and nodded, taking off her reading glasses. "Just be sure to close the door, please." she placed the glasses on the nightstand. Zoe nodded and walked in, quietly shutting the door behind her.

"What is it? Is everything alright? Are one of the girls hurt?" Cordelia asked. Zoe crossed her arms and shook her head. "No, they're fine, ." She bit her lip and rocked back and forth on her feet. She looked around the room, wondering if whatever had whispered to her in the bathroom had followed her to Cordelia's bedroom. It didn't feel like it. She looked back over at her and noticed she had a worried expression on her face.

"Well, are you alright, Zoe?" she placed her hands together on the yellow legal pad. Zoe shook her head again. She was still scared, but didn't quite know how to explain what had happened without it just sounding a little bit dumb. Cordelia nodded.

"What is it, dear?" she quietly asked. She bit her lip harder and felt tears start to sting her eyes.

"I-" she heard her voice waver and swallowed. "I was trying to get to sleep, and got a little scared in the dark. You know, with how big the room is and all." her cheeks felt warm as she recounted the story. "So I went to the bathroom to get a little light and splash my face." her stomach sank as she got closer to the climax of it. She messed with her nails and looked at the floor.

"Is that all?" she heard Cordelia ask while she continued to stay quiet. She quickly shook her head. "Um, while I was washing my face, I heard a voice. Again." a tear rolled down her cheek.

She looked up and saw Cordelia's eyes widen a little. "Come here." she patted the bed on the space next to her. Zoe walked over and sat down, crossing her legs and facing Cordelia.

"Did it just say the same things as before?" she handed Zoe a tissue from the box on the nightstand. Zoe thanked her and patted her cheeks.

"No. Well, sorta. It said my name this time, . It knows who I am." she whimpered a little. Cordelia slowly nodded and placed a hand on Zoe's arm.

"It said 'Zoe'. And then it said 'Zoe, please!' in an urgent tone. Whoever the hell it is really needs my help." she sniffed. "But I don't know why I only hear it at night and in my room." she wiped at her cheeks with her hands.

"Is that all the spirit said this time?" Cordelia asked as she rubbed up and down Zoe's arm to try and comfort her. Zoe nodded.

"It's alright, Zoe." Cordelia pulled her into a hug and rubbed her back a little. Zoe sobbed and put her face into Cordelia's slightly damp hair.

"I know it can be scary when we're aware of these powers, at first, but I don't think this spirit wants to hurt you." Cordelia leaned back and used her thumb to wipe at Zoe's cheeks.

"And…" Cordelia grabbed the book next to her. She closed it and showed the cover to Zoe. She wiped her nose and shook her head. "I can't read that." Zoe replied. Cordelia peered down at the title and chuckled.

"Oh, I've forgotten you all haven't learned much Latin yet." Cordelia laughed again and put the book down. "To finish my thought, I meant to tell you that I've been studying up on and refreshing my knowledge of spirits." she grabbed her legal pad and handed it to Zoe. She glanced down at the notes.

"Okay, but…" she looked back up at Cordelia with a puzzled look "What does this all mean?" she pressed her lips together. Cordelia put her glasses back on and opened the book.

"There was a way to contact spirits that I had completely forgotten about." she flipped through the pages and stopped on one she had dogeared. "It's a little more direct and visual, but not as risky as something like a Ouija board." Cordelia gave Zoe a sympathetic look "As you know."

Zoe nodded, recounting how her naive experience with a board had caused her to foolishly release the spirit and give form to the infamous Axe Man.

"The book says 'Larva', which I'm sure you could gather, which means 'ghost' in Latin. So this is a really old and rather worn down book, as you can tell." Cordelia scanned the almost feather-light pages. "But, I was reading through it and was reminded about the act of scrying, or, to put it more simply, mirror gazing." she looked at Zoe and paused. She seemed to notice the glassy-eyed, bored look Zoe felt like she had. She leaned over a bit and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you following me?"

Zoe perked up a little, away from her own train of thought and nodded slightly. "Yeah, sorry Ms. Cordelia. Just a little worn out." she yawned and stretched "I think I saw that mirror gazing thing in a horror movie once." Zoe replied while looking at the pile of books. She grabbed the stark black one and peered at the title. It seemed to be French.

"Les morts et de parler avec eux." she read with a very poor accent. "What is this one?" she held it up and looked at Cordelia. She glanced up from her notes quickly and looked a tad bewildered.

"Oh…" she snatched the book from Zoe's hand. She opened the drawer of her nightstand and quickly threw the book in. "That's from my mother's personal collection. I noticed she had left it in the libraries own, probably with the help of Spalding. I got a hold of it before one of the girls got any bright ideas." she shut the drawer. "It's a dark magic book." She looked at Zoe sternly.

"It's only for the very, _very _last of resorts. We won't be bothering with it. For now." she grabbed the stack of books and placed them on the nightstand.

"Mirror gazing is what I'm focusing on. It simply involves a chair, a few personal objects, relaxation, and of course, a mirror." she took her glasses back off.

Zoe nodded, now a bit weary of the book she had just had her hands on. She felt a chill down her spine as she thought about how, if they had a much less responsible Supreme, that book could of ended up in the wrong hands. An amateur witch with a dark desire. She looked away from the drawer and back at Cordelia.

"So, you're going to do it?" Zoe brought her knees up to her chin and sighed a little.

"Yes." Cordelia settled into her pillows. "No use putting you or any other student at risk. It's a fairly simple task, so I'll be fine, most likely. But I don't want to take any chances with you girls." she smiled sweetly.

"How are you feeling now?" she asked Zoe. Zoe shrugged a bit and looked at her bare toenails. "Still pretty scared, but a little better. Knowing maybe we'll find out who the hell this is." she sighed again while Cordelia chuckled.

"Well...did you-"Cordelia paused, looking at Zoe in a weary way. Zoe gave a half-nod, as if to say 'go on'. Cordelia cleared her throat. "I thought maybe you had come in here because, even though you're a little old for it, you wanted to sleep in my bed." Cordelia finished and brushed her hair past her shoulders.

Zoe felt a blush rise to her cheeks as she slowly nodded in response. "Yeah…" she replied quietly. "I figured sleeping on the couch would cause a lot of explanation, but I didn't know where else to go if I didn't sleep downstairs." she rubbed her arm.

She felt embarrassed and a little ashamed. She knew she was a bit 'too' old for this kind of behavior, but even back home she would have the occasional scary and/or sleepless nights. She'd squeeze in between her mom and dad and try not to get spooked by whatever horror movie-esque creature had entered her imagination.

She figured this time, it was a little worse and/or more understandable, because she _knew _what the monster was. And now she knew it was real. And that it was aware of who and what she was.

"Well, it's not something I usually advise or approve of…" Cordelia leaned over to click her lamp to a dimmer setting. "But you're a bit of a special case, so, you're free to lay down with me tonight." Cordelia smiled softly towards Zoe. She placed a hand on Zoe's shoulder and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "That is, if you want to, of course."

Zoe reluctantly nodded and smiled back at Cordelia. "I do." she muttered. She moved farther away from Cordelia and more into the empty space on the bed.

"I don't have the privilege of running to my mom's room, when I'm here at least." she whispered to Cordelia as she got under the covers. She looked over at her and saw her nod in reply.

"I actually had to sleep with Myrtle and a teddy bear the first few nights I was here." she said softly as she arranged the pillows for sleep. "My mother dumping me here was a stressful event." she let out a long sigh and plopped down onto her back, staring at the ceiling.

Zoe glanced over and it seemed the older woman was contemplating. What or about what, she had no idea. She felt her eyes begin to become heavy.

"You gonna turn that light out any time soon, ?" Zoe asked. Cordelia looked at her and giggled, nodding while her hand reached for the string.

The room became black, except for a flower-shaped nightlight in the left corner of the room. Zoe felt Cordelia shifting, presumably trying to get comfortable.

She looked above her and tried breathing slowly to get more relaxed. Her eyes shut and she felt her breaths getting deeper.

Nighttime wildlife sounds seeped in through the slightly cracked window. She smiled a little and after the breeze hit her a few times, she finally felt herself drifting off to sleep.


End file.
